Gnosis Ratings

Reviews:

Sjef Oellers 17-Mar-2001 The Garden of Jane Delawney

Trees play folk rock comparable to bands like Fairport Convention or Mellow Candle. Beautiful compositions with a good balance between acoustic and electric pieces. Electric and acoustic guitar are the principal instruments. The vocals are handled by an excellent female vocalist. Sheer beauty reigns on this album. The melancholic title track is out of this world. An incredible folk rock classic.

Mac Beaulieu 17-April-2001 On the Shore

Very much influenced by Fairport Convention, Trees released their only two albums in 1970. While guitarist David Costa may find the previous effort special but a little embarrassing, On The Shore is a disc to be proud of. Split about half and half between traditional arrangements and original compositions, the result is cohesive with little discernable difference between the two. "Soldiers Three" and "Murdoch" open the album with a good example of both, if not exactly setting expectations of anything far out of the ordinary. "Polly on The Shore" follows, raising the stakes considerably. It's a classic melody, with Celia Humphris' crystal clear vocals carrying the song most of the way. Barry Clarke introduces some great guitar punctuations that he'll use to hook you in here and later on "Fool", cavorting in and out and toying with his volume pedal. Though they are good musicians, they are no match for Fairport or The Pentangle, and I wondered how badly their version of "Sally Free And Easy" would pale compared to The Pentangle' s. Opening with an almost melodramatic, unaccompanied piano, it soon introduces the theme, exposing its massive beauty with utter simplicity. This version is entirely different, doing for this song what Fairport did with Reynardine, but where the latter maintained its air of profound mysticism throughout its length, Trees took "Sally Free And Easy" to glorious heights. Yes, this is goosebump territory as the band slowly builds a sweeping epic to a simple yet stunning crescendo. The rest of the album is solid as well, and fans of British folk-rock should certainly have it.

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Sjef Oellers	17-Mar-2001	The Garden of Jane Delawney
Trees play folk rock comparable to bands like Fairport Convention or Mellow Candle. Beautiful compositions with a good balance between acoustic and electric pieces. Electric and acoustic guitar are the principal instruments. The vocals are handled by an excellent female vocalist. Sheer beauty reigns on this album. The melancholic title track is out of this world. An incredible folk rock classic.
Mac Beaulieu	17-April-2001	On the Shore
Very much influenced by Fairport Convention, Trees released their only two albums in 1970. While guitarist David Costa may find the previous effort special but a little embarrassing, On The Shore is a disc to be proud of. Split about half and half between traditional arrangements and original compositions, the result is cohesive with little discernable difference between the two. "Soldiers Three" and "Murdoch" open the album with a good example of both, if not exactly setting expectations of anything far out of the ordinary. "Polly on The Shore" follows, raising the stakes considerably. It's a classic melody, with Celia Humphris' crystal clear vocals carrying the song most of the way. Barry Clarke introduces some great guitar punctuations that he'll use to hook you in here and later on "Fool", cavorting in and out and toying with his volume pedal. Though they are good musicians, they are no match for Fairport or The Pentangle, and I wondered how badly their version of "Sally Free And Easy" would pale compared to The Pentangle' s. Opening with an almost melodramatic, unaccompanied piano, it soon introduces the theme, exposing its massive beauty with utter simplicity. This version is entirely different, doing for this song what Fairport did with Reynardine, but where the latter maintained its air of profound mysticism throughout its length, Trees took "Sally Free And Easy" to glorious heights. Yes, this is goosebump territory as the band slowly builds a sweeping epic to a simple yet stunning crescendo. The rest of the album is solid as well, and fans of British folk-rock should certainly have it.
Links for further information